Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 ··· 9 10 11 ··· 22 23

Original poster

to push for more from this high street company that lied and humiliated me?

555 replies

redrugroffle · 30/05/2012 10:20

Sorry, name changing old timer to protect my RL identity on here (yawn, yes I know- please feel free to quiz me on MN howlers past and present)

I was shopping on a busy saturday in a chain. A lady approached me she was the manager.

She introduced herself and said she wondering if I would help her as she'd had no luck for the last hour and needed a candidate to take part in a radio phone in show- prizes/money going to charity and their staff and the chance to win an electrical appliance for myself???

I asked how long it would take and agreed as long as it would be swift as I felt a bit sorry for her - I also asked what charity it would be for and whether it would be filmed? She was vague and said she wasn't fully briefed on the details. She then laughed and said that this was very much the "style" of their company. That they were very up on motivation for the staff, crazy competitions, incentives etc. I took this on trust and they are a very big company.

We went to her office and the phone rang on speaker phone- radio guy with jingles in background etc- asks me where I'm from, age, name etc.

It was then put on handset and I had to answer a few qs and agree whether or not to perform some silly tasks (think Chris Evans old style larking) some I did some I refused (every refusal got money for the charity)

Anyway- fast forward 20 mins and I cut ot off (as I wanted to go and was stretched for time. I'd won ££ for charity, 2 prizes for the staff and a prize for myself to be collected from the store on the following Tuesday and £3000 worth of stuff.

I was really pleased and as I fundraise for a local charity I asked if my prize could be donated to my chosen charity as well as thiers (I've got no need for another toaster of cake mixer ) I was told we will see on Tuesday.

I arrive on Tuesday (this place is a 55 mile round trip for me)

The manager looks solemn. She takes me to the office and tells me she's been stupid, it was a hoax, nobody was coming in.

She gave me a £20 voucher for my girl (it was her birthday) and asked me to leave.

I've since called their customer services to demand an inquiry into her behaviour and to get some token for being humiliated, out of pocket and time.

They've not called me back.

They've said they're sorry but these things happen????

I've nobody except my close friend to asked and he advised me that he'd be going for the complete amount of things I was promised and to not compromise.

So your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

OP posts:

skirt · 30/05/2012 14:38

Hollister didnt sell cake mixers last time I went in there :o

hermionestranger · 30/05/2012 14:40

Shamelessly marking place to find out who the company was and what the tasks were.

jumpingjackhash · 30/05/2012 14:40

It seems to me like you're making this into an issue it really isn't.

From what you've said, someone played a (pretty poor) joke on the store manager, which also involved you as an unwitting stooge. I'm not sure why you think they 'owe' you anything? Surely it's just something you'd chalk down to experience as a crap practical joke? You weren't publically humiliated or anything (beyond the room where you took the call), were you?

The radio station is a complete red-herring IMO, it's not particularly hard to mimic a radio phone-in.

PrettyPrinceofParties · 30/05/2012 14:46

I don't understand why you won't say what the store was or what the tasks were, yet you claimed to have journalists interested in the story. Surely, you'd need to tell them the whole story, and it wouldn't be anonymous like it is on an internet forum.

The longer this thread has gone on, the less sense it's made. Hmmmm.

FartBlossom · 30/05/2012 14:47

Shamelessly marking new place as had to do RL stuff. And Im still non the wiser why the OP thinks she is entitled to £3000 for a charity. It was a hoax, end of. Also dont think the store should pay as they were also hoaxed. Though do believe manager prob has learned her lesson though.

CheeseandPickledOnion · 30/05/2012 14:47

How peculiar.

IvanaNap · 30/05/2012 14:50

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn as this poster has privacy concerns.

Cabrinha · 30/05/2012 14:51

I think you're blowing this out of all proportion.
Store manager was duped - either because of a hoax for some odd reason that isn't funny, or because of some kind of fraud/ scam.
SHE APOLOGISED AND OFFERED YOU £20.
So in the first instance, she reacted well.

Yes, it seems you've had the run around getting to speak to someone senior, but you know, sometimes head offices screw up finding the right person. Especially in a WTF situation like this!

It sounds like you've been calling constantly... Do I understand the timescales right? You found this out yesterday. Maybe you just needed to give them a couple of hours?

You're also complaining they haven't paid the charity £50. Did you expect them to walk it round there in cash? Most companies I have worked for would need to raise a cheque - all tied into a process that can take some days. Find a cost code for charitable donation, await a cheque print batch run - etc!

I'm sorry if I've misunderstood the times, but if they offered £50 for charity yesterday, you're being ridiculous if you are accusing them already of not following through!

jumpingjackhash · 30/05/2012 14:52

I also don't think the press would give a shit - I work with journalists on a daily basis and it takes more than 'someone played a joke on a shop manager and I was involved' to get them interested!

FartBlossom · 30/05/2012 14:54

I think you're blowing this out of all proportion

I think that depends on what the actual tasks were and what actually happened. The OP is reluctant to tell us so there is no way of knowing if its out of proportion or not. If she told us we might be able to give better advice, but apparently a is suffient for an answer to what the tasks were.

crazygracieuk · 30/05/2012 14:55

Shouldn't op be able to find out who the hoaxer was? I know some speculated ex-employee with axe to grind but of I was op O'd be dying to know.

Gincognito · 30/05/2012 14:56

Why on earth won't you tell us what the tasks were?

FeakAndWeeble · 30/05/2012 14:59

AngelWreakinHavoc · 30/05/2012 15:02

The longer this thread is going on the more suspicious I am of how genuine it is. I dont understand Why you can not say what tasks you had to do or what the name of the store is. I know if it was me I would not have left the store until i had had some proper answers A) Who told the manager about the radio show if it was not her superiors? B) if it was a hoax why has the manager not reported it to the police/radio station/ charity that it was supposed to be funding for? C) Why wasnt the Manager straight on the phone to her Superiors to say 'Look we have a problem and I need some answers for this Lady who has been humiliated on the so called radio I just dont get any of it!

squeaver · 30/05/2012 15:04

Yes, like others, I'm struggling to see what the OP's gripe really is. It sounds like it's the manager of the shop who's actually been humiliated. Presumably she went to head office to sort out the prizes/whatever and they went "WTF??".

This wasn't broadcast on a radio station. You've been offered compensation. They're making a donation to your charity - which will take time to sort out.

Really struggling to see what your gripe really is.

Also, why won't you just say which shop it was.

PrettyPrinceofParties · 30/05/2012 15:07

That was my point Angel, it's just seeming more realistic as it goes on. OP has name changed to protect their identity re the 'humiliating' tasks that she won't disclose anyway.

Curiouser, and curiouser.

PrettyPrinceofParties · 30/05/2012 15:08

Ahem less realistic.

FartBlossom · 30/05/2012 15:10

Maybe the tasks aren't really that humiliating. What can you possibly do over a phone on a "radio" anyway? Unless it was filmed, but then the OP would have a point, but as far as I can see there was no filming in place (though I may be wrong)

limitedperiodonly · 30/05/2012 15:11

What can you possibly do over a phone on a "radio" anyway

Use your imagination fart. Some people make a bloody good living out of it.

FartBlossom · 30/05/2012 15:14

Use your imagination fart
I dont have one though there must be something.

jumpingjackhash · 30/05/2012 15:16

Considering the OP has been hounding the company (and press), it's been a little while since she was on here...

Toaster24 · 30/05/2012 15:17

Letter to the Chief Exec of the retailer, and to OFCOM re the radio station.

jumpingjackhash · 30/05/2012 15:20

But Toaster the radio station say it wasn't anything to do with them - it seems someone was pretending to be from them.

ForexTrader · 30/05/2012 15:23

I believe the store must have been Ann Summers. The OP said that two directors had the same name and the directors of AS are David Gold and Jacqueline Gold.

This also explains why the OP will not describe the "tasks" and why she refused some of them.

WheresMyCow · 30/05/2012 15:23

Flip

1 2 ··· 9 10 11 ··· 22 23